At a Wednesday appearance in Florida, Cain said if he were elected president "you get a chance to be batting .500" with black presidents.
"If you think about the first 43 presidents, they were all white. Were they all great? I think you have a few duds in that group," Cain said according to a video posted on Shark Tank, a local political site in the sunshine state. "So now you get a chance to be batting .500."

The former Godfather's Pizza CEO and radio host, who previously launched a presidential exploratory committee, also took shots at the media and GOP elite.

"The political establishment is not going to elect Herman Cain. The political elite's are not going to support me," Cain said. "ABC, CBS and NBC they're still in denial that I'm even a legitimate candidate."

And why do members of the media treat Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Wisconsin and former Republican Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin so "viciously"?

"Because they know that Michele Bachmann or Sarah Palin is going to draw a lot of the women vote away from the Democrat Party," Cain said. "They are scared to death of that, if they were to run and get the nomination. They are doubly scared that a real black man might run against Barack Obama."

soundoff(63 Responses)

When I was young, black people would refer to Herman Cain as an 'Oreo cookie.' Black on the outside, but very white on the inside.

March 31, 2011 03:12 pm at 3:12 pm |

annie s

I'm a Democrat. I can absolutely, positively 100% promise you that neither Palin nor Bachman would ever have my vote. I prefer my Presidents to be intelligent.

March 31, 2011 03:13 pm at 3:13 pm |

Anthony R. Seta

Cain seems like an odd guy with a huge chip on his shoulder. I'm sure he thinks that he is better than all of us... Within the closed confines of his dysfunctional mind, he may be a 'real black man' and Bachman and Palin may be 'strong women', but in truth all of these folks are just mediocre people trying to outdo each other with playground taunts and put downs. I've been out of 5th grade for many years, but whenever I listen to these GOP hopefuls speak, I have Timothy Leary-like flashback to my childhood years. Why is the GOP attempting to connect to the childish impulses of their base rather than approach their core constituency with thoughtful and intellecutal analyses to the issues that confront the nation?

March 31, 2011 03:14 pm at 3:14 pm |

once upon a horse

uh oh Cain threw down the RACE CARD and it's too bad he had to bring it up that both he and Obama aren't white. Really doesn't matter in the long run I guess because he has about a good a chance of running against Obama as I do.

March 31, 2011 03:14 pm at 3:14 pm |

EJ

Go Herman! I would love to see either him or Trump debate Barry as either one of them would hand him his lunch. At least these two did something in the private sector as opposed to being a "community organizer" which is basically someone who B&M's all day but never truly accomplishses anything.

March 31, 2011 03:14 pm at 3:14 pm |

Rudy NYC

Mr. Cain, you need to define what "real" means in this context. Apparently, it does not mean what most people in the black community refer to as "real" person. That would mean a person who is honest and down to earth. They could not be described as having their head in the clouds.

Please. Explain, Mr. Cain.

March 31, 2011 03:15 pm at 3:15 pm |

freda

"Real man" – Is he saying President Obama is not a real man? Cain is disgusting. He should pair up with the disgusting Donald Trump.

March 31, 2011 03:15 pm at 3:15 pm |

azmary

I don't know about Michelle Bachman's draw for women, (to me she seems a bit of a light-weight) but I do know my 70+ year old die hard Republican sister-in-law refused to vote for Sen. McCain after she was selected as his running mate. Many of my mature republican women friends were turned off by her selection over so many much more qualified Republican women, with a lot more of real leadership experience.

March 31, 2011 03:16 pm at 3:16 pm |

Diane P

As an African-American female I find Herman Cain to be repulsive & embarrasing, kinda like Michael Steele or Clarence Thomas.

March 31, 2011 03:16 pm at 3:16 pm |

janet

This Guy is not black. Don't let him fool you. Black people want to help everybody. Teapartiers want to help themselves.

March 31, 2011 03:16 pm at 3:16 pm |

Nick , California

Say what you will.. you won't ever be president! "a real black man"... ha ha.. what kind of crap is this.. he's more fluent in ebonics?? I say lets make all politics a reality show and send all the profits back to the people to pay off our debt.. think of the millions of viewers who would watch.. all the affairs and murders.. it would bring great ratings!

March 31, 2011 03:16 pm at 3:16 pm |

CK in SD

He's right about the .500 if he's elected, regardless of whether you support Obama or not.

Personally I would prefer to rank presidents with something other than boolean values

March 31, 2011 03:17 pm at 3:17 pm |

julie

I think it would be great to have 2 African Americans run against each other. I am an Obama supporter, but I have a conservative son who said he would like Cain to be the GOP nominee.

March 31, 2011 03:18 pm at 3:18 pm |

Al-NY,NY

"Because they know that Michele Bachmann or Sarah Palin is going to draw a lot of the women vote away from the Democrat Party," Cain said. "They are scared to death of that, if they were to run and get the nomination.
---------------------------------------–

Members of the media only report the sheer idiocy of those two. And to think that either of them would draw women's votes, the only women that would vote for them are the barefoot, pregnant, tea-serviing Stepford Wives of America

March 31, 2011 03:19 pm at 3:19 pm |

julie

I do disagree with him that Palin and/or Bachman will draw a lot of women away from the Dems. Cain needs to know women are smarter than that. If there was a GOP woman running that was really presidential material then he might be right – but that isn't Palin or Bachman.

March 31, 2011 03:21 pm at 3:21 pm |

casey007

Mr. Cain what is your definition of a "real black man"? Are you referring to someone who has 2 black parents?

March 31, 2011 03:24 pm at 3:24 pm |

Anonymous

Wow, another GOBPbaggin' idiot who thinks he can read the "media's" mind. No one is scared of you Cain, because all you are is a pizzamaker. Tom Monaghan is not presidential material. Mike Illitch is not presidential matieral and neither are you.

March 31, 2011 03:26 pm at 3:26 pm |

Mike.

So, basically the appropriately named Herman CAIN is a black Republican playing the race card.
Am I my brother's keeper? Apparently not!

March 31, 2011 03:28 pm at 3:28 pm |

A citizen

1. Bachman is from MN–not WI.
2. Why does the media treat her and Palin so "viciously?" Same reason FoxNews treats some Dems so "visiously?" It's called freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

March 31, 2011 03:29 pm at 3:29 pm |

Jay

I don't know what you mean by "real black man" but we blacks didn't vote for Obama only because he is black but because like Clinton he gets it. You are like that uncle that thinks he is better than everybody else because he's got a little money and people don't want to be around him.

March 31, 2011 03:32 pm at 3:32 pm |

ConservaFascists/FUBAR

A real black man? Don;t make me throw up my chinese food. A real Uncle Tom is more like it. Yeah I said it. Mr. Cain, you are nothing but a puppet being used to try and garner minority support. When the GOP had no more use for Michael Steele, they threw him under the bus. Don't be shocked when the same thing happens to you. I'm black, and I don't know ANY black people who own Pizza restaurants. You've watched The Last Dragon one too many times. Who you think you are, Daddy green's Pizza.

March 31, 2011 03:32 pm at 3:32 pm |

The Real Tom Paine

Once again, the GOP theory of "....if we run someone cute (Dan Quayle)/sexy(Palin)/black (Cain), we will siphon off votes from the Dems and win!" Hate to tell you, Herman, but Quayle is still a punchline, Palin and Bachman are unelectable because they are loons, and your theory has already been proven wrong by Alan Keyes. Where in the GOP DNA is there is imbecile-like notion that that the world is against them because they are conservative? Americans hate whiners, and Cain is already whining that he can't get elected. Thats the reason why you won't make it past Iowa.

March 31, 2011 03:32 pm at 3:32 pm |

Squiggs

I don't suggest that Cain should think like Obama. But as a Black man he should be ashamed of himself for not recognizing and acknowledging how Obama has been treated by the right not on ploicy but because of his color. The questions that have been beaten like a dead horse about his birth and socialism smacks of racism and someone like Cain can't see it due to his chronic Stockholm Syndrome. To suggest that he is a real Black man and Obama is not means that he can't possible see what the racist on his side see. They clearly think that Obama is black thats why they treat him the way that they do. Und=fortunately for Cain he can't see that black men like him are the white racist best friend. I'n saying that he should think like Obama on policy but he shuld be able to recognize the covert racism that still exist in this country that has bioled to the surface since Obama was elected. Cain will die one day never understanding how he is really looked at by the white conservative establishment he wants to belong to so bad. Poor misguided fool.

March 31, 2011 03:33 pm at 3:33 pm |

payback

.....Yeah right...real black man?. I don't, think so...cain you are the flavor of the month. Of the tea baggers. As soon as they' use you up'. To get what they want, they will throw you under the bus. And roll, the bus' back and forth'. For good measure. Go ask michael steel. It seems, that he fell off the radar screen. What happened to him?....SELL-OUT.

March 31, 2011 03:36 pm at 3:36 pm |

carrotroot

Way to marginalize yourself Mr. Cain. You being Black is not an issue, it's your party's "My way of the highway" draconian mentality to policy making which is driving everyone, including moderate Republicans voters, away from your party.